Cocoa Crusted Roasted Cauliflower (Whole30) (Low Carb) (Vegan)

Some recipes just make you scratch your head in wonder. Cocoa and Cauliflower are two things I never thought I would see in a recipe together. And yet, here we are.

Foodie Boy Genius Justin Warner coated his cauliflower with cocoa powder and then roasted it. They don’t call him a Boy Wonder for nothing. This is a genius dish, I tell you. The cocoa gives the cauliflower a rich, deep satisfying taste.

I thought it needed a little heat and smokiness, so I decided to add smoked paprika in equal parts with the cocoa powder and then some salt. SO delicious. The one thing I will say is that you should eat this right out of the oven, because if it sits, the moisture form the cauliflower florets will make the cocoa soggy and not crusty.

This dish only takes about 5 minutes of prep time. You just toss the cauliflower florets in some olive oil and then dip the florets in the cocoa powder mixture.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss the florets in oil . Stir together the cocoa powder, smoked paprika and salt. Hold the florets by the stems and then sprinkle each one generously with the cocoa mixture. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cauliflower is fork tender.
Serev warm.

1 small head of cauliflower, hard stem removed and broken into florets

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the florets in oil . Stir together the cocoa powder, smoked paprika and salt. Hold the florets by the stems and then sprinkle each one generously with the cocoa mixture. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cauliflower is fork tender.